Rescue operations end after Iran quakes kill 250

By the CNN Wire Staff

Updated 2:35 PM ET, Sun August 12, 2012

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Photos:Earthquakes strike northwest Iran

Earthquakes strike northwest Iran – A man walks past the debris of a destroyed building in Ahar in northwest Iran on Monday, August 13. Two earthquakes that hit northwestern Iran killed more than 300 people and injured more than 3,000.

Earthquakes strike northwest Iran – The village of Ishkhal lies in rubble after two earthquakes hit the area Saturday. A third quake with a magnitude of 4.0 struck Sunday.

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Photos:Earthquakes strike northwest Iran

Earthquakes strike northwest Iran – Iranian Red Crescent workers remove a victim of the earthquake on Sunday in the rubble of Bajeh Baj, a village located in the northwestern province of East Azerbaijan.

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Photos:Earthquakes strike northwest Iran

Earthquakes strike northwest Iran – Residents walk among the rubble of destroyed buildings in the village of Amir-Ali Kandi.

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Photos:Earthquakes strike northwest Iran

Earthquakes strike northwest Iran – Iranians in Bajeh Baj mourn the death of loved ones killed in the disaster.

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Thousands of tents were set up throughout the stricken region, and tens of thousands of cans of food were distributed, Iranian officials said.

The quakes damaged historic monuments, including the roof of Shahabeddin Ahari's tomb and the Qasem Khan Ahari house, among other sites, Press TV said.

Pope Benedict XVI said his thoughts were with those affected, as well as others facing natural disasters, IRNA reported. Other world leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, expressed condolences. The United Arab Emirates offered assistance, IRNA reported.

The quakes struck near Tabriz, the country's fourth-largest city.

The cities of Ahar and Varzagan are the hardest hit, Khalil Saei, the provincial director of crisis management, told IRNA.

The first earthquake, with a magnitude of 6.4, hit Saturday at 4:53 p.m. local time, 37 miles northeast of Tabriz, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, which measured 11 aftershocks. Just 11 minutes later, a second quake, measuring 6.3, struck 30 miles northeast of Tabriz.

A series of aftershocks followed, including one measuring 4.4 magnitude, according to the USGS. There were no immediate reports of further damage or casualties.

Authorities asked residents to spend the night outdoors as a safety precaution.

Iran sits on major fault lines -- the collision of the Arabia and Eurasia plates -- and has been prone to devastating earthquakes.

Nine years ago, 30,000 people died in an earthquake in Bam in southeastern Kerman province. In 1990, about 50,000 were killed in a quake near the Caspian Sea.